The veteran big man consulted with Melbourne surgeon Julian Feller yesterday to assess the extent of damage to his left hamstring.

With surgery required, the Dockers yesterday released a statement saying Sandilands could be sidelined from anywhere between eight to 12 weeks. But Lyon said he was confident the ruck giant - who has played just 27 of a possible 47 games since 2011 - would return sooner rather than later.

“I think it’s on the minor end of what we were thinking,” Lyon told 6PR last night.

“It’s a slight split in the tendon.

“We think it’s more likely eight weeks, unless they got in there and (it was) something different to what they were thinking, but that’s highly unlikely.

“There’s been a lot of doomsayers out there (talking) about how it’s the end of his career… this is quite minor. He’ll be able to condition really well and play a huge part for us.”

Fellow ruckman Zac Clarke is likely to be considered for a round 2 return after snapping his plantaris tendon at training last week.

In that duo’s absence, Jon Griffin shouldered the ruck load admirably during last weekend’s 28-point win over West Coast, successfully limiting Eagles star Dean Cox’s impact around the ground .

Meanwhile, Fremantle has opted not to challenge the one-game suspension handed out to forward Hayden Ballantyne.

The Dockers forward was cited by the AFL’s match review panel on a rough conduct charge after an off-the-ball hit on West Coast’s Scott Selwood close to quarter time on Saturday.

“It’s really different from last year,” Lyon said, referring to the one-game suspension Ballantyne received for a similar behind-the-play strike on Paul Chapman early last season.

“This was just a block gone wrong. (He was) trying to free up Selwood, who was tagging (Nat) Fyfe quite tightly.

“His intention was pretty healthy… his method just crossed that line a little bit. He overstepped the line a bit and he’s paid the price for that.

“Last year, he found a great balance after the early stages. He’s a leader, we love the way he competes, and I’m sure he’ll play great footy when he gets back.”

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